McDonough: W.H. tracking Sochi security 'very, very closely'

By Jennifer Epstein

02/02/14 09:53 AM EST

The White House is closely monitoring security surrounding the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and isn't discouraging Americans from going to the games.

"We are tracking it very, very closely. as you would expect," White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said in an interview for Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." "We're in close touch with the Russians. When we get new information, we share with the American people."

The administration isn't discouraging Americans from traveling to Sochi, but does recommend they keep tabs on news coming out of the State Department. "Our request is not that people do not travel. In fact, we have said that people could travel to the Olympics," McDonough said. "We just want them to stay in touch with the State Department while they travel, watch the website for updates."

But, with the opening ceremony set for Friday, "we feel good that the Russians are taking serious steps right now" to secure the games, McDonough said.

There has been some grousing that the administration hasn't been getting enough information about threats in Sochi, and McDonough didn't fully deny that notion. "We always want more information. That's the life blood of how we keep our people safe," he said. "More information is always better than less."